Nothing gets the top men at City Hall shaking quite like a disruption to library service, so surely there was some trembling at 100 Queen Street West this morning.

In a press conference with CUPE 416 president Mark Ferguson earlier today, Maureen O'Reilly, head of CUPE local 4948, announced that Toronto library workers have filed for conciliation, saying little progress has been made at the bargaining table with the City of Toronto. She accused the City of "picking a fight with library workers," saying that staff are being "asked to do more and more for less and less."

With a strike or lockout of outdoor workers looming in just over a week, Ferguson said the City's approach to negotiation is basically one of "union-busting."

"Bargaining usually involves two parties coming to the table with changes they want, and then negotiating something both can live with," he said. "I have been at tables through the Lastman and Miller eras — they all worked that way. This is completely different, totally one-sided."

Photo by andyscamera in the theGentries Flickr pool